The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-07
Improve the Streets.

any OUneF III inns Guy is, w nat Is Ine pros
pect for the improvement of the unpaved
streets" This question is particularly
prominent in the public mind during dry
weather when the wind is high. Then
the flying sand makes walk along the I'M
paved streets anything but pleasant.
Doubtless, the Aldermen would like some
body to suggest some way, within the limits
OF the citys means, TO improve the streets.
A good many suggestions have been made,
but for some reason or other they have failed
to meet with approval. Some required too
great an expenditure of money, and others
promised no permanent benefit. There ap-
pearsto be some ground for saying, however,
that the Aldermen do not apply themselves
to the solution Of the street paving problem
with the energy and determination that in
spire confidence in their success.
Some of the streets are paved, and the
last piece of paving that was done-that on
Broughton street-gives great satisfaction
1t would be a grand thing for the city if all
the principal streets were paved with
asphalt. Some day they will be, probably,
but in the meantime something ought TO be
done to protect citizens against the foul dust
and sand with which every passing vehicle
fills the air
There is one thing that the city can do
that will, to some extent, remedy the dust
evil, and will at the same time tend to re-
duce the cost of paving when the city gets
ready to make that Improvement, and that
is to limit the sand area of the unpaved
streets. On South Broad street, for instance,
the grass plat in the centre could. at very
small expense, be considerably widened,
leaving only narrow roadway ON either
side of it. The grass plat could be so i'm
proved as TO increase the attractiveness of
the street. A grass plat could be
made in the centre of Liberty street
and also in other wide streets
such as Jones, Gwinnett and CASTOR. There
are are other streets, such as St. Julian and
President, which could be made more
pleasant for the residents upon them by re-
ducing the width of their roadway This
could be done by cutting off narrow strip
on either side and making grass plat of it,
Bull street could be treated in this way at
a very small cost, but with vast benefit
to its attractiveness. 1t would not
be necessary TO use costly curbing. The
same sort of material that was used in
making the walks in the Park extension
would answer for the present There would
be no need for skilled labor. Under the
direction of the City Engineer the men who
are now employed upon the streets could do
all the work, and when it was done the cost
of keeping the streets in repair would be
much less than at present. In fact, it is
probable that the amount that would be
saved in one year would be almost equal to
the cost of making the improvements sug-
gested The amount expended upon the
streets now is very large, and nobody is
able to see that they are improved in any
way. OF course if nothing were done upon
them it would soon become apparent that
the money appropriated for their repair is
not wholly wasted, but there is lurking
suspicion in the public mind that some Of
the money spent upon the streets could be
used to good advantage in making perma-
nent improvements. The practice of SHOW
cling sand from places to which the wind
returns it within a few hours, has probably
cost the city sum sufficient to pave half
the streets with asphalt.
If the plan suggested of attaching a part
of the roadway of the streets to the side
walks were adopted the paving problem
would be considerably simplified. The
space to be paved would be greatly reduced,
and, of course, the cost of paving would be
correspondingly reduced. The opposition
to paving that is now met with from prop
erty owners would almost wholly disappear
They could afford to meet their share of the
expenses of paving a street, and, in most in
stances, would meet it gladly.
Let the City Council have an estimate
made of the cost of carrying out on the
principal streets, the plan above outlined.
1t will be found that the cost will not be
great. Let us have q season of earnest and
intelligent work on the streets, and when
the improvements are completed the house
keeper will be gratified because less sand
will get into her house to ruin her furniture
the pedestrians will be thankful because
they can walk the streets with more enjoy
ment and the owners of teams will be hap
pier because it will not cost them so much
to keep their stock in good condition.
The supporters of Gov McEnery, in
7 L.,